Hall of Fame
Bill Hunter was inducted into the Towson Hall of Fame in 1998.
When he “retired” from major league baseball in 1978, he didn’t really quit working. He started a second career at Towson. During the next 16 years, he served the university in a variety of capacities.
In January 1979, three months after resigning as the manager of the Texas Rangers, he was introduced as the baseball coach at Towson. During his nine years as the Tiger baseball coach, he helped establish the program in Division I, leading Towson to a 132-163-4 record.
In 1981, he was named as an associate athletic director at Towson in addition to his baseball duties. In 1984, he was named as Towson’s fifth director of athletics, a position he held until his retirement in 1995.
During his tenure as athletic director at Towson, the Tigers achieved a great deal of success. In 1990 and 1991, the men’s basketball team played in the NCAA Tournament. In 1991, the men’s lacrosse team reached the NCAA Championship Game and the 1990 gymnastics squad finished ninth in the nation. While serving as athletic director at Towson, he was president of the East Coast Conference and, later, the Big South Conference.
A 30-year veteran of professional baseball, he spent five years as a major league infielder and was the Baltimore Orioles’ third base coach for more than 13 seasons. He also served as the manager of the Texas Rangers from 1977 to 1978.
He was inducted into the Orioles’ Hall of Fame two years ago. In addition to his coaching tenure with the Orioles, he was Baltimore’s Opening Day shortstop for its season in Baltimore and he was named to American League all-start team in 1952 as a member of the St. Louis Browns. Bill was also an infielder for the New York Yankees’1956 world championship team.
A native of Indiana, Pa., he and his wife, Beverly, are the parents of two sons.
